The Department of Employment and Training could be in for some big cuts, including the closing of several of its 12 regional offices around Vermont. Employment Commissioner Patricia McDonald says she can’t release details of the plan until the governor’s budget address next week. But she says changes are in the works.
Senator Vincent Illuzzi, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Economic Development and General Affairs, says he’s been told between three and six DET offices could close. Illuzzi says he’s worried about the likelihood that the offices in Newport, which is in Illuzzi’s district, and St. Albans might be closed. Those areas have had higher-than-average unemployment in recent years.